Ein Mata and Ein Tanur

A circular route of about 2.5 km allows you to visit both springs. Don’t forget to bring flashlights—there’s also an ancient tunnel to explore along the way.

 

Starting and Ending Point: KKL-JNF recreation area at Hurvat Hanut

Access: Route 375 (Elah Valley-Tzur Hadassah Road), near kilometer marker 11

 

Length: Approx. 2.5 km

Duration: About 2 hours

 

From the Hurvat Hanut recreation area, walk east along a dirt road marked in blue. The road passes the large winepress of Hurvat Hanut. About 50 meters beyond it, the road curves left and reaches the trailhead sign.

 

From here, a black-marked footpath descends to Ein Mata (to the right of the entrance is a red-marked 4x4 road that also leads to the spring). It is recommended to take the black trail to avoid vehicular traffic. To return, you may choose either the black footpath or the red dirt road.

 

Heading to the eucalyptus grove in the Nahal Zano’ah streambed, the path descends through mixed woodland with native trees including oak, terebinth, carob, and buckthorn. The black trail zigzags and occasionally meets the red road along the slope.

 

The red road crosses the shallow channel of Nahal Zano’ah and meets a marked dirt road that is part of the Israel National Trail. A few steps to the right brings you to the eucalyptus grove that marks the location of the spring.

After enjoying Ein Mata, return to the trail junction and continue west along the Israel National Trail. Shortly after, you will see an impressive ancient stone house on your right.

 

About 400 meters west of Ein Mata, opposite a cattle gate, a “transparent” trail marker (two white stripes with a blank stripe between them) points left and descends directly into the streambed, leading through a small “jungle” of fig trees. Nestled among the trees is the Ein Tanur spring, which flows from a tunnel with a ceiling tall enough for an adult to stand beneath.

 

After visiting the spring, retrace your steps along the Israel National Trail to where it meets the red-marked road. Cross the streambed again, this time southward, and climb the black-marked trail back to Hurvat Hanut. Energetic hikers can climb to the top of the ruin in about ten minutes; others may take a bit longer and pause to enjoy the beautiful views of the Jerusalem Hills.

 

Hurvat Hanut (Khirbat al-Khan) is one of the most fascinating historical sites in the Jerusalem Hills. KKL-JNF has prepared a picnic area here with accessible tables, parking, and drinking fountains. The site is also approved for overnight camping.

 

An accessible path leads from the parking area to the ruins of a Mamluk-period inn (13th century), built on the foundations of a Byzantine church. Excavations uncovered remains of a large church and a winepress, and significant portions of the Byzantine mosaic floor have survived.

The inn once stood along an ancient route that climbed from Gaza to Jerusalem. The Roman period left its mark on the route in the form of rock-carved steps, still visible alongside today’s road, just a short way down from Hurvat Hanut. Local legend identifies a small stone mound among the trees, near the parking area, as the grave of Goliath the Philistine.

 

The recreation area lies within Mata Forest, part of American Independence Park. KKL-JNF planted the forest in the early 1950s. It is named after Moshav Mata, whose name was inspired by the surrounding orchards and the verse in Ezekiel (34:29): “I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.”

 

 

Ein Mata is a charming spot. The spring flows at the foot of a terrace shaded by a fig tree. A small wading pool has been created to collect the water. The shade is pleasant, and it’s an inviting place to relax for an hour or two. In summer, the spring almost completely dries up.

 

According to geographer Menachem Marcus, who conducted a landscape survey in the area, a nearby stone heap may be the remains of an aqueduct tunnel or ancient structure that once collected the spring water.

 

British Mandate maps show that Ein Mata was once known locally as Ein a-Tanur, named after Khirbet a-Tanur – the cluster of ancient structures nearby. Today, that name has been transferred to a spring located about 400 meters west of the original spring (see below).

 

 

To reach Ein Tanur, you will walk west along the dirt path that follows the Israel National Trail. Along the way, we pass a stone building with arches, constructed from large sones. It may have served as a farmhouse during the Crusader period or been part of a monastery. Crusader documents suggest the site was once called Salvatio. Other abandoned houses in the area belonged to the Arab village of Allar, which was abandoned in 1948 after being captured during Operation HaHar.

 

 

Ein Tanur flows inside an impressive tunnel with a curved ceiling reminiscent of Gothic architecture, tall enough to stand beneath. The lower sections are plastered, and parts of the structure are built with high-quality stonework.

 

Spring water runs along the floor of the tunnel, forming a shallow stream. Visitors can walk about 20 meters inside until the passage turns left and meets a blockage. Outside the tunnel are remains of a collection pool.

 

There is usually a small swarm of gnats at the entrance, so insect repellent is recommended. Entering the tunnel is a unique experience.

 

A local legend says that this was the very oven of Noah the Righteous. When the Flood began, the oven turned into a spring whose waters joined the rains sent by God. The oven continues to provide water to this day, a testament to Noah’s righteousness in his generation and ours.

 

Zano’ah Cliff is located on the bank of Nahal Zano’ah. It rises about 15 meters and is an approved site for climbing and rappelling (with certified instructors only). Several climbing and abseiling routes of varying levels of difficulty have been established on the cliff.

 

You can approach the cliff via a blue-marked dirt road that begins at Horvat Hanut. The road is challenging for private vehicles but doable. After about 1.8 km, you reach the cliff sign.  From there, a roughly 200-meter trail leads to the cliff itself. The cliff is shaded for most of the day, and planted forest trees grow at its base.

 

• The Emperor’s Trail 
• Tel Sokha (English coming soon) 
• Hurvat Beit Itab (Beit Itab Ruins)